title: Characteristics of medical examiner/coroner offices accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners.
abstract: The National Association of Medical Examiners accredits medical examiner and coroner offices. Approximately 60 offices were fully or provisionally accredited as of late 2011, and these offices serve one-quarter of the U.S. population. The calculated average population served was 1.6M but ranged from 0.3 to 10.5M. The calculated mean death rate was 794 deaths/100K population, and the mean homicide rate was 7.2 homicides/100K population. The calculated mean budget was $4.35M, but budgets ranged from $0.67 to $26.8M. The calculated mean budget/capita was $3.02 but ranged from $0.62 to $10.22. The average size of the facility was under 30,000 sq. ft. The calculated average staffing was found to include five forensic pathologists, four and a half autopsy technicians, and nine investigators. The mean forensic pathologists/1M population was 3.7. Calculated workload indices included 222 autopsies/pathologist and an autopsy rate of 77.6/100K population. These results show that offices of every size can achieve accreditation.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 900 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21223.
authors.forename: Mitchell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 900 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21223.
authors.forename: Victor W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Weedn
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Science, McGlothlin-Street Hall Room 311, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23188.
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 900 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21223.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D001344:Autopsy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002017:Budgets / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003334:Coroners and Medical Examiners / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006276:Health Facility Size; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009026:Mortality; D011153:Population; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: accreditation; autopsy; budget; coroner offices; forensic science; medical examiner offices; medico-legal death investigation; pathologist; staffing; statistics; workload